Name/Title
Matchbooks from Motel SimbethEntry/Object ID
2012.4.2 A-BDescription
Two matchbooks from Motel Simbeth. The front reads "'Rest for the Weary on THIS SIDE of the Jordan' Motel Simbeth Exclusive Accommodations for Colored Tourists,” "Close Cover,” and "Match Corp. of America." The back of matchbook reads “On U.S. 1, Eight Miles North Route 3, Box 988, Sunset 7-9156 Columbia, South Carolina Sam Wilson, Manager."
The interior of the matchbook has an advertisement for the Victory Savings Bank: "When in Columbia, see the Victory Savings Bank owned and operated by Negroes for almost 40 years. Member Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Over One Million Dollars in assets. Henry D. Monteith, President."Context
In operation from around 1955 until around 1965, Motel Simbeth provided lodging for Black travelers in an era when segregation and racial intimidation created an uncertain landscape for non-white tourists. Located about eight miles northeast of downtown Columbia on U.S. Highway 1 (Two Notch Road) until its demolition sometime after 1965, the motel was co-owned by South Carolina civil rights leader Modjeska Monteith Simkins (1899-1992). Listed in the "Negro Motorists Green Book" from 1956-1957 and 1959-1961, Motel Simbeth welcomed travelers and civil rights leaders from across the country, including Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), who stayed at the motel in the 1950s.
In a time when nearly half of American adults smoked cigarettes, complimentary matches were an easy way to accommodate guests. Likely given out at the motel's check-in desk or placed in a guest's room before their arrival, these matches advertised Motel Simbeth as a place where the weary could find rest "on THIS SIDE of the Jordan"—reinforcing the perception that they need not wait until the afterlife to relax if they chose to stay at the rural motel. Inside the matchbook a message from Simkins's brother, Henry D. Monteith (1905-1991), encourages travelers to handle their banking needs at Victory Savings Bank, a Black-owned institution located at 1107 Washington Street in the heart of what was once Columbia's Black business district.Made/Created
Manufacturer
Match Corporation of AmericaDate made
circa 1955 - circa 1965Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Modjeska Monteith SimkinsRelated Places
Place
Location
Motel Simbeth, Victory Savings BankCity
Columbia, South Carolina
